Qatar Calling

09/05/07

Lobbying & Law From the K Street Corridor

From his perch running the Abraham Group, an international strategic consulting firm, former Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham has been quietly constructing a business fiefdom in Qatar and the larger Persian Gulf region. One of Abraham’s projects is a joint venture with Daffa International, a Doha-based company that is owned by the family of Bader Omar al-Dafa— Qatar’s ambassador in Washington until recently.The Abraham Group and its Qatar partners are assisting U.S. firms in sectors such as energy, accounting, and real estate to “invest throughout the Gulf region,” according to Majida Mourad, a vice president of Abraham’s firm.

Mourad, who served for several years as an international adviser at Energy when Abraham was in charge, said that the Abraham Group has also teamed with Grubb & Ellis to form another business venture in partnership with Daffa International to manage properties in Qatar and around the Gulf. And for good measure, Abraham’s firm has hosted annual Washington meetings the past two years that brought big gas producers such as Qatar together with large consumers of natural gas such as Dow. Meanwhile, Abraham has been tapped to chair the emerging presidential campaign of former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., to take advantage of Abraham’s talents as a senior adviser and fundraiser.